What do you think of Kia?
After I asked this question, I received a very different answer.
Most of the post-80s have a good evaluation of Kia, and in their early twenties, the K3 is one of the preferred models. This includes a classmate of mine who started his business in college, who ushered in a huge fortune in his senior year, and then chose to buy a K3. You might ask, why not go to the BBA? Please, after a hard day, know how to cherish it. The K3 meets his need for face and riko, and the price is very tempting.
However, for most of the late 90s and post-00s, Kia can hardly say that there are positive reviews, because a large part of the people do not know what cars the brand is selling.
Now that my classmate, who is over 30 years old, has replaced the car with the fourth generation of Jiahua, he likes the large space of The Jiahua in the second-child family, the excellent driving texture and the more home-oriented setting than the same class. However, Kia's sales in China were not satisfactory, and it failed to capture the tastes of young people as it did in those days, which was a bit flat compared with its peak annual sales of 645,000.
Kia's foundations, as well as the challenges
To be sure, Kia's foundation is there, but it is lost in the rapid changes in the market. This is reflected in the fact that they can still output high-level models such as The Ka Wah. On the other side of the globe, Kia and Toyota can compete with the actual prices of products that are flat. In terms of product strength, such as Kia Niro Electric, it can get the second place in the top ten most reliable models of the 2021 US Consumer Reports.
However, in China, the long-term main attack on cost performance, price for volume but also hurt the brand. For a generation that grew up with the brand, there may be patience to understand it, but for the new generation of young people who have risen in the era of information explosion, Kia has no such emotional foundation. Hoping that ultra-low-priced entry-level models such as Huan Chi, Freddy and Yi Pao will close the distance with young consumers, but due to the lack of scientific and technological elements, the reverse wave will push the two sides farther and farther.
2022 is an extremely important year for Kia, and the new joint venture pattern has attracted great attention. Kia at this critical juncture, what cards will he play next?
First of all, is it very realistic, does Kia still have the qualifications to build cars?
It is understood that at present, the ministry of industry and information technology announcement catalog serial number used by Dongfeng Yueda Kia is No. 47, which continues to use the original announcement serial number of "Jiangsu Yueda Kia Automobile Co., Ltd.", that is, the catalog serial number of Yancheng Automobile General Factory in the 90s, and the product code YQZ of Dongfeng Yueda Kia is also the enterprise code of the original Yancheng Automobile General Factory, and the directory serial number of Dongfeng is not used. That is to say, Kia will not fall into the embarrassment of not being able to build a car because of the change of the joint venture party.
Will the three-way joint venture become two parties affect Kia's foundation?
Kia's reputation is based on models such as smart running, K3, and K5, and in terms of what consumers can directly feel, the characteristics they show are the excellent appearance laid by Peter Cyrell and the driving quality above the level of joint ventures.
At the technical level, fuel technology, the fourth generation of CVVD engine system overcomes the problem of changing the valve opening time, compared to the technology of playing valves, CVVT (continuous variable valve timing) is only the working time period of the valve, CVVD relies on a unique mechanical structure, making the valve run with a more flexible time width, upgraded to a more powerful "lung".
Figure Note: The power performance of a 1.5T engine equipped with CVVD technology can be increased by more than 4%, fuel efficiency can be increased by more than 5%, and exhaust emissions can be reduced by more than 12%.
In terms of new energy technology, Kia is one of the few car companies in the world that has a comprehensive layout of multi-power energy, with deep accumulation in the four major technical fields of HEV, EV, PHEV and fuel cell, and has mastered the core technologies such as E-GMP, the global modular platform for electric vehicles. Judging from the above, the role played by Dongfeng in it is not heavy, and kia has a solid foundation for starting again.
So, what does Kia do in the future?
In fact, Kia's separation lies in the fact that the Chinese market is changing very quickly, and Kia has not invested enough energy in China before.
Interestingly, according to Kia's plan, in the face of the rapidly changing new market pattern, Kia will start again in the Chinese market with the attitude of a new force startup. It should be known that Hyundai Kia is the world's top 5 automobile group, ranking 4th in the world in sales last year and 3rd in global sales in the first 3 quarters of this year. Under such circumstances, an old man who has been wandering in China for 20 years positions himself as an "entrepreneur" in the Chinese market, which shows his posture.
The future layout of "entrepreneur" Kia is worth looking forward to
It is certain that the joint venture car survives in the "gap", and this line of thinking is bound to not last long. The downward price ratio is no longer appropriate, and the upward price ratio is the focus.
What is the product-price ratio, I think is to seize the core of technology, and give a reasonable or even value-added price, which has gradually emerged in the new domestic car-making forces.
However, in terms of continuous output models, product quality, production and supplier management, many new car-making forces still have room for improvement. How to give a "high-end" experience is a problem that "entrepreneur" Kia needs to think about.
According to Kia's "Plan S" medium- and long-term strategy, they will be committed to transforming to the two core directions of the future of "electric vehicles and environmentally friendly mobility". At the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, Liu Changsheng, general manager of Dongfeng Yueda Kia, said: "In response to the rapid development of China's electric vehicle market, Kia plans to launch more than one special electric vehicle model per year to expand the electric vehicle model matrix to meet the different needs of users. ”
How to achieve this goal, in terms of technical basis, kia's E-GMP pure electric platform provides a guarantee for the continuous output of the product. The need for electric vehicles to have an exclusive platform is a hot topic in the industry, such as Tesla and other new forces do not mention the electrification platform, the reason is that the platform has a devil's side - to create it is extremely expensive, the technology is complex and difficult, and the research and development cycle is long.
So the plan of these new forces is to do less and fine, quickly output products, which is very suitable for them as Internet celebrity products to seize the dividend period, and focus funds on the needs of individual areas. But its shortcomings are also beginning to appear. For example, after the Model S3XY array was formed, the speed of new model development slowed down significantly. This dilemma can be solved if it is to take the platform route.
So as far as Yoo Chang-sheng's commitment to continue to export new models, I think the credibility will be very high. And thanks to the platform model, the cost of the product will be controlled to a large extent. The above characteristics have been demonstrated on platforms such as Volkswagen MEB and GM Aoteneng.
In terms of product quality, the feedback of users in overseas markets confirms their explosive power, and the first dedicated electric vehicle EV6 has been highly recognized by Korean and European consumers in the early stage of global sales, and won the "2022 German Car of the Year Award" Best Model Award in October this year. In November, the Kia EV6 won the "Crossover of the Year" honor in the "TopGear" awards.
The EV6 long-endurance two-wheel drive version can travel 600km on a single charge, and the GT model accelerates from 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 260km/h; both vehicles are equipped with the latest version of "Kia Connect" and advanced driver assistance systems.
High-quality product output must also be efficiently produced and managed by suppliers. Hyundai Kia Group's electric vehicles rank third in the global market and have strong enough experience in electric vehicle production and supplier management. How they will perform in the domestic market depends on how they complete the conversion.
According to Kia's planning, before 2023 Kia will have imported models into China, I think this is a relatively stable solution, do not rush to localization, first stabilize the market reputation is the top priority. In the next step, it will be crucial to accelerate the construction of electric vehicle production lines and achieve win-win and high-quality sustainable development with dealers.
Note: Kia will introduce solar power generation systems at its production facilities in its plants in South Korea, the United States, and China, and complete the transition to renewable energy at its global plants by 2040. Although consumers will not have a direct feeling about this, it shows kia's determination to develop clean energy.
From the above, entrepreneur Kia will start in 2022, and will be a new posture in China - accelerating the connection with the international market and transforming into electrification.
summary
In 2022, Kia, which has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for 20 years, is about to usher in the first year of the second phase of development, which is a key step taken by Kia based on the global Turn-around strategy. Will Kia usher in the highlights of the past?
As we can see, the difficulties faced by Kia are also encountered by many traditional car companies. In fact, there are many cases of equity changes in the joint venture company, and Dongfeng Yueda Kia's three-party change of two parties will not affect Kia's restart. In terms of user base and technology base, Kia has a great chance of achieving rapid transformation of electrification, and Kia's attitude is more positive than ever in response to the needs of Chinese consumers. Starting again with the attitude of "entrepreneur", Kia's 2022 will be very busy.